How to get free hearing aids

One of the hardest things about needing to obtain a hearing aid is the cost of the hearing aid. Hearing aids can range in cost from $900 to $1,300 apiece for the old analog style, but can go up even higher for the newer digital hearing aids. Due to the high cost of hearing aids many people cannot afford them so rather than purchasing a hearing aid they simply go with out.

If you are currently going without a hearing aid because youcannot afford the cost there are programs available to help you. In some cases, you will be able to purchase a low cost hearing aid, but there are programs available that will provide you with the hearing aid that you need for no cost. Here are the steps that you will need to follow in order to get a free hearing aid:

Step one:

Before going anywhere else, you need to talk with your doctor or certified audiologist. The reason for this is that in order to qualify for any kind of hearing aid assistance you will need to have a doctor’s diagnosis, not to mention that they are also some of the best sources of information for assistance information.

Step two:

Contact one of your local or international organizations that offer a hearing aid recycling program. Most of these programs collect old hearing aids that they refurbish to provide free of charge to people who otherwise could not afford one. Here are two of the best organizations to contact in these regards:

• Lions Club – Not all of them provide this service, but most of them do. They are known for providing financial assistance for hearing aids through both direct assistance and hearing aid banks.
• Sertoma Clubs – Like the lions Clubs they are actively involved in providing assistance through hearing aid banks and in some cases direct financial assistance.

Step three:

Contact an implant center to see if they can provide you with any help. Even if you are not considering an implant to improve your hearing implant centers can still provide assistance in obtaining hearing aids through the hearing aids that they are donated or through charitable donations. Some implant centers will also provide assistance for you to obtain a cochlear implant. For example, the Colorado Neurological Institute in Englewood, Colorado has a Cochlear Implant Assistance Fund. You can get more information from their website at http://www.thecni.org/hearing/assistance.htm

Step four:

Some hearing aid manufacturers offer assistance programs of their own. For example, Miracle-Ear Children’s Foundation provides free hearing aids to low income families through their centers that are located throughout the nation. To find out more about their program visit http://www.miracleear.com/childrenrequest.aspx Starkey Hearing Foundation also offers free hearing aids to needy people. To find out about their program visit them at http://www.sotheworldmayhear.org/

Step five:

If you have a child that is in need of a hearing aid you can often times go to their school to find out about programs that they offer. Usually this option is considered as a last resort, schools will sometimes provide hearing aids for children who d not qualify for any of the federal programs.

Step six:

Contact your local and state governments to see what programs they have to offer. Most children who qualify for Medicaid will receive hearing aids at no cost, but children who do not qualify for Medicaid can still get free hearing aids. For example, you state might offer something called Children’s Rehabilitative Services that allows the state government to pay for the hearing aids. If your state does not offer this program, they might offer something similar. Some states also provide programs that help uninsured and insured people receive cochlear implants.

Step seven:

Find a private organization or foundation that can help provide you with free hearing aids. Numerous parents have had to pay for hearing aids before so they have started private organizations that are designed to help other parents cover the high cost of hearing aids. In addition to these parents, people who have received hearing aids or some who have received cochlear implants have started foundations to help people receive hearing aids that would otherwise go without. For example, Gift of Hearing Foundation, which was created by a late-deafened adult, is located at http://www.giftofhearingfoundation.org/

If none of these options works for you, there is still help available. Here is a list of other resources that you can use to help obtain a free or low cost hearing aid:

• Fraternal Order of the Eagles – members vote on if they should help
• Moose Lodge – members vote on if they should help
• Masonic Lodge
• Shriner’s Hospital or group
• Medicaid – most state programs will pay for hearing aids. In some cases, the federal programs will work if the state does not pay for it. For example, the federal program of Early Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment Program (EPSDT) will pay for digital hearing aids for kids until they reach the age of 21, only they have to be Medicaid-eligible.

If you are replacing your old hearing aids, you might want to consider recycling your old hearing aids. By recycling your old hearing aids, you will be able to help people who cannot afford hearing aids get the hearing aid that they need. Most of these places will provide refurbished hearing aids to people who are in need free of charge, in some cases they will sell the old hearing aids for discounted prices so that they can raise money to buy newer hearing aids for people who cannot afford them. Here are some places that you can donate your old hearing aids to:

Number one: Hear Now

This organization is located in Eden Prairie, Minnesota and is a part of the Starkey Hearing Foundation. What Hear Now does is take old hearing aids that have been donated to their foundation and have the hearing aids repaired so that they can resell them. By selling the old repaired hearing aids, they are getting revenue that they can use to buy newer hearing aids for people who cannot afford them. To find out more about Hear Now or to donate your old hearing aids you can visit their website at http://www.sotheworldmayhear.org/hearnow/

Number two: Service Organizations

Numerous service organizations run hearing aid banks and other hearing aid recycling programs. Here are some of the more popular service organizations that you can donate your old hearing aid to:

• Lions Club – They offer collection boxes in places that the public tends to frequent, such as libraries, banks, and opticians offices. You simply place your old hearing aid in one of the collection boxes. The Lions Club will collect the hearing aids from the collection boxes and repair them so that they can provide them to people who are in need of hearing aids, adults, and children alike.
• Knights of Columbus – They also collect used hearing aids so that they can repair them and provide them to people who are in need. Unlike the Lions Club, they are not as well known. To find out more about the program that they offer you can visit their website at http://www.knightsite.org/main2007/index.htm
• Sertoma – Most of these clubs offer a recycling program for used hearing aids, which is called Sertoma Hearing Aid Recycling Program. If your local club does not offer this program, you can still donate your old hearing aid to them. What you will have to do is send your old hearing aid to Sertoma International’s Sponsorship Department.

Number three: State-Specific options

Most every state has some kind of hearing aid recycling program that is run by either the state government, but they can also have county run programs. You can call your state’s government offices to find out about their hearing aid recycling programs or you can talk to your audiologist to see what your state has to offer. Here are some specific examples of what some states have to offer:

• Utah – State government has a hearing aid recycling program that collects used hearing aids. The program is run by the Hearing, Speech, and Vision Services agency that is located in Salt Lake City.
• Minnesota – Washington County runs a program called “Take it Back” that requires the participation of local businesses to collect the hearing aids.
• California – There are numerous programs located throughout the state. House Ear Institute that is located in Los Angeles accepts used hearing aids. Hope for Hearing collects used hearing aids, to find out more about Hope for Hearing visit their website at http://www.jtc.org/h4h/

Number four: Miscellaneous options

Some senior citizen centers will accept donations of old hearing aids, and if they do not most of the time, they can point you in the right direction. You can also contact hearing aid companies directly to see if they offer any type of recycling program. For example, The Ear Research Foundation, which is located in Sarasota, Florida, has a program that works directly with hearing aid manufacturers.